Australia floods inundate almost 2,000 homes

SYDNEY: Australian floods have inundated close to 2,000 homes in New South Wales, an official said Saturday, as the surging waters appeared to claim the life of a man in the state's north. Eastern Australia has been hit by heavy downpours in recent days, causing swollen river systems to pour through towns and villages in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, damaging crops, roads and bridges. In badly-hit southern New South Wales, more homes were evacuated Saturday as the State Emergency Service said some 1,963 homes had been inundated, mostly around the major inland town of Wagga Wagga and the surrounding regions. "There's further assessments being done at present to see whether they will crack the 2,000 mark which sadly I think it will do," State Emergency Service (SES) spokesman Phil Campbell told AFP. "This is all over-floorboard flooding. It is the significant stu...